This morning I visited my spine surgeon for a check-up. What’s nice is the feeling I have about his office staff: they’re pleasant, gentle people who seem always eager in their work, and that helps. I got big hugs from his nurse, an office manager and biller. Even the x-ray technician seemed glad to assist me.

The orthopedist is a wonderful man whom I credit for my continued capacity to walk. All good –

For the first time in 12 years of visits to his office, the x-ray images of my bones were represented on a digital device, as opposed to old-fashioned, plane films clipped onto a light box. The surgeon was able to enlarge and examine more carefully an area of concern without my being exposed to additional rads. Even more fortunately, the fusion looks steady.

Once I arrange to get a copy of the digital image (a hassle with inexplicable, inexcusable high costs, as per hospital protocol), I can include that in my electronic personal health record (PHR), one of my planned projects for the year ahead.

2 Comments

Dear Dr. E,
Yes, I share the feeling of walking into a physician”s office and being greeted as a person rather than an “illness”.
It’ nice of you to acknowledge your orthopedist’s contributions to your health but your daily efforts to keep pain and other difficulties at bay might be also enormous. Do you mind sharing some with us, the readers.